This invention relates generally to a method and device for improving the mechanics of the golf swing of a golf player or golfer. It is a well-known objective of a desired golf swing to “square” the face of the golf club at the moment of impact with the golf ball. Essentially, “squaring” means that the face of the club is perpendicular to, and traveling in a direction directly lined up with the intended initial flight path of the ball. It is also well known to golfers that holding the golf club properly (i.e., using an effective golf “grip”) is a major factor in effecting such a desired golf swing.
Although a player is certainly free to grip a golf club in any personal fashion, statistically, three gripping techniques, the “overlapping” grip, the “interlocking” grip and the “baseball” grip dominate the golfing world. (The exception to this statistic is “putting” wherein players tend to grip a selected putting club in multi-varied, personal and occasionally unique fashions). The overlapping grip and the interlocking grip are variations of the baseball grip.
All three grips start with the player seizing the golf club in a manner somewhat similar to the way in which the player would seize a baseball bat by wrapping the fingers of each hand around the grip and wrapping the thumbs in an opposite direction of the respective fingers on each hand. Then, in the case of the baseball grip, the player slides both hands together in a stacked fashion and prepares to swing.
In the case of the overlapping grip, the player seizes the golf club in a manner somewhat similar to the way in which the player would seize a baseball bat and slides both hands together. Then the player nestles (overlaps) the fourth or little finger of the trailing hand (that hand farthest away from the ball flight during the swing take-away—also referred to as the “dominant” or “strong” hand) within a groove which is formed between the index or forefinger and the adjacent or middle finger of the leading hand (that hand closest to the ball flight during the swing take-away, also referred to as the “weak” hand). In the case of the interlocking grip, the player seizes the golf club in a manner somewhat similar to the manner in which the player would seize a baseball bat and slides both hands together. Then the player intertwines (interlocks) the little finger of the trailing hand with the forefinger of the leading hand.
In all three grips, the shaft of the club passes between the thumb and forefinger (index finger) of each hand, enabling the player to grip the club shaft between the thumb and forefinger; a very strong grip. This results in or encourages a kind of “pinching force” between the parts of the thumb and parts of the forefinger.
These three grip techniques, with the resulting pinching force between thumb and forefinger, allow the player some control of hands, arms and body so as to transmit a variable amount of power to the golf swing while providing control over the speed and positioning of the golf club.
However, to the extent that the player fails to properly control the pinching force and also fails to control any or all of hands, arms and body, the golf club can be affected by at least one of three types of undesirable movements (lateral, vertical, rotational). Each of these undesirable movements, or combination of movements, negatively affects the ability of the player to square the clubface at the moment of impact with the golf ball and result in undesirable effects on ball flight. Such undesirable effects will vary, depending on which of the many available types of golf clubs (driver, iron, and putter) is being used. This is evidenced by the fact that golf instructors work continuously to help players learn to control factors affecting the golf swing. Much instruction is focused on the impact of the hands on the swing; in particular, the impact of the above described pinching effect in causing an imbalance of swing power between the dominant hand and the weak hand.
Right-handed players, using any of the three grip types described above, tend to dominate the swing with the right hand (similarly, left-handed players dominate with the left hand). As a result, for right-handed players, the right hand has become known as the “dominant” hand, the left hand usually referred to as the “weak” hand.
The following discussion is from the point of view of a right-handed player. In a like manner, wherever the personal pronoun “he” and the possessive pronoun “his” is used, it is understood to include female golfers.
In a common technique for teaching, learning or employing a correct swing, much attention is focused on reducing the impact of the dominant hand. For example, when the golfer is swinging a driver, over-powering the swing at impact by the dominant hand can result in a club rotational motion producing a severe left-to-right trajectory (“slice”) or a right-to-left trajectory (“hook”). Similarly, were the same player to over-power a putting club with the dominant hand, the result might be a “yank”, the ball pulling solidly left of the intended trajectory.
The importance of this dominant hand over-powering effect cannot be overstated. In fact, the professional golfer, Ben Hogan, referring to the importance of the grip on the desired swing, writes, “this means, in effect, subduing the natural tendency of the right forefinger and thumb to take charge. If they do, they'll ruin you.” (The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, 1957) Similarly, the golf instructor, Manuel De La Torre, writes, “Hand action in the forward swing is the cause of more than 90% of all missed shots.” (Understanding the GolfSwing, 2001)
Professional golfers have mastered the control of the dominant hand with respect to the weak hand during the golf swing. The non-professional “week-end” golfer seldom achieves this control. The typical result of a “dominant hand” swing for such a golfer is the dreaded “slice” (a serious left-to-right ball flight usually landing in a wooded area, a pond or out of bounds). In connection with this knowledge, numerous devices and methods have been adopted, and many patents obtained, on devices and methods for improving golf grips and golf swings. Examples of such known devices and methods are set forth in the following U.S. and international patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,198 issued on Nov. 12, 1991 to Gerald S. Szabo, discloses a putting aid wherein a strap is wrapped around the middle finger of the trailing (dominant) hand and attached to a wristband in order to prevent rotation of the wrist during the putting stroke.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,211 issued on Jul. 26, 1994 to Guerin D. Rife, et al., discloses a machine to enable a golfer to improve putting skills and at the same time become more aware of the optimum motion of shoulders and arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,845 issued to Wayne S. Boyte on Jan. 6, 1998 discloses a golf club teaching and gripping device for properly gripping a golf club without the risk of slipping.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,935 issued to Eddie Boyd Hinton discloses a glove for particular use in golf wherein, by the use of restrictive elastic bands fastened to the backside of the glove, the glove so hobbles the dominant hand as to reduce its gripping power.
While these devices may fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements to an extent, the aforementioned patents fail to eliminate the actual source of the aforementioned undesirable swing effects. This source is believed to be the pinching force exerted on the golf club shaft as a result of the positioning of the golf club shaft between the thumb and forefinger of the dominant hand, a positioning which occurs when any of the three above described grips (baseball, overlap, and interlock) is employed. Because all three grips position the club shaft between the thumb and the forefinger of the dominant hand, any twist, twitch or turn of the dominant hand is amplified and transmitted directly to the club, creating the very same undesirable swing motions which the player is trying to eliminate.
A need exists for an improved method for gripping a golf club, one that eliminates the cause of these undesirable swing motions. A need exists for a device to aid or train a player to use such a method. The present device and method satisfies the need.